5 Things To Do This Weekend, April 10-12: How does your garden grow?

1. Do my eyes deceive me? Are we finally looking at consistent temps above 50 beginning on Saturday? Sure, I groaned as much as anyone when I looked out the window Thursday morning to see more snow, but I believe that in short notice it’ll really be spring. And there’s plenty of green, growing things to be seen this weekend anyway (more on that in a minute). In Bangor on Friday, your nightlife options start off with AS4MS, the annual acoustic fundraiser for multiple sclerosis at the Gracie Theatre at Husson University, this year set for 7:30 p.m. and featuring bands including Worried Well (pictured), Tall Horse, One Shot Nothing, Skosh and the Royal Bones. After that, in downtown Bangor you can enjoy either Joe Mama and the Swamp Walkers at Paddy Murphy’s, Everett Dumas at the Big Easy, the Trisha Mason Band at the Sea Dog, Stesha Cano and the Jerks at the Downunder Club at Seasons, or Stripped with Sam at Nocturnem Drafthaus, featuring songwriters including Sam Chase, Zoe Stefanic, Greasy Grass and Erik Schwab. Up in Orono on Friday, Celtic trio the Napper Tandies play at Black Bear Brewing. On Saturday, the Central Gallery hosts local indie rockers The Great North Collective, Fools Rule is at the Downunder Cub, the Rotating Taps rock out at Paddy’s, folk trio the Otter Folk are at the Big Easy, Tomorrow Morning is at Ipanema and jazz trio Indigo is set for Nocturnem.

2. In Portland this weekend, strap in for a ridiculously eclectic Friday night of music and entertainment. At Port City Music Hall, there’s some epic funk with Nth Power and Cory Henry and the Funk Apostles. At Empire, rockers Endless Interstate and Doubting Gravity take the stage. At Asylum, indie rockers Walk the Moon (pictured at left) and the Griswolds are set to perform, while at Space Gallery, there’s a screening of episodes of Kitty Critic — a webseries featuring Portland musicians playing for a cat. Bayside Bowl hosts Raging Brass, folk group the Ghosts of Johnson City are at Mayo Street Arts, and at One Longfellow Square, there’s Songs of Change, a Pete Seeger tribute concert featuring youth musicians. On Saturday, take your pick of one of the following extremely hard things to choose from: the animated pop-rockers Matt & Kim with Water at the State Theatre, Zach Deputy and the Organically Good Trio at Port City, African rockers Tal National at the Space Gallery, another round of hungry young rockers at MAMM Slam at Bayside, and at Flask Lounge, there’s a ton of great Maine rock featuring Twin Grizzly, the Outsiders, Spidermilk and Torn in Two. See? Ridiculously eclectic.

3. Just about nice enough to eat outside this weekend, and Rockland’s a great place to do it. Friday night in Rockotown, rockabilly band Three Button Deluxe are at Speakeasy, and the Seth Warner Trio are at Rock City Coffee. On Saturday, in Waldo County the legendary Rustic Overtones are set for the Unity College Center for the Performing Arts at 7:30 p.m. Down Rockland way on Saturday, check out either Sea Train (pictured) at the Speakeasy, a CD release party for George Stephens and Kathy Westra at Rock City, songwriters Seth Glier and the Jason Spooner Band at the Strand Theatre, 90s cover band Hello Newman at Myrtle Street Tavern, and rockers Two Dollar Pistol at Trackside Station.

4. If this doesn’t get you a spring mood, nothing will: the BDN Maine Garden Show is set for the Cross Insurance Center this Saturday and Sunday, and will feature loads of gardening, home and food vendors, along with live music and, of course, gorgeous flower and landscaping displays that smell like spring, look like spring, and, well, means spring is finally here. General admission is just $7 and the hours are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. Saturday night also brings the annual Cross Insurance Center Gala, a big fundraiser for area charities including the Bangor Region Homeless Shelter, the Shaw House and Spruce Run/Womancare Alliance. Get dudded up and shake a tail feather for a good cause — the fun starts at 6 p.m. and tickets are $75 for individuals.

5. Or, you know, you can do any of the other great things happening this weekend, like the Robinson Ballet’s annual spring showcase, “Romance and Fire,” set for 7 p.m. Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday at the Brewing Performing Arts Center, or the annual Bud Light Reggae Fest (pictured), a wild weekend of skiing and music at Sugarloaf with headliners including Stick Figure, Soul Rebel Project and many more, or the Emerge Film Fest, four days of films from new and upcoming films from Maine filmmakers and filmmakers from elsewhere, set for various locations around Lewiston, Thursday through Sunday. Or one of several cool art openings in downtown Bangor, like The Identify Project Friday night at The Rock & Art Shop or the Faces of Diversity exhibit at the Central Gallery on Sunday. Or the annual Hike for the Homeless, a benefit for the Bangor Area Homeless Shelter Saturday morning, with various start points across Bangor and Brewer. You literally can’t lose!

About Emily Burnham

Emily Burnham is a Maine native, UMaine graduate, proud Bangorian and a writer and editor for Bangor Metro Magazine, the Weekly and the Bangor Daily News, where she's worked since 2004. She reports on everything from local bands to local food to all the cool things going on in the Greater Bangor area. In her quest for stories, she's seen countless concerts and plays, been lobster fishing, interviewed celebrities, hung out with water buffalo and played in a ukulele orchestra. She's interested in everything that happens in Maine. Albums for review are accepted digitally only; please no CDs.
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Emily Burnham

Emily Burnham is a Maine native, UMaine graduate, proud Bangorian and a writer and editor for Bangor Metro Magazine, the Weekly and the Bangor Daily News, where she's worked since 2004. She reports on everything from local bands to local food to all the cool things going on in the Greater Bangor area. In her quest for stories, she's seen countless concerts and plays, been lobster fishing, interviewed celebrities, hung out with water buffalo and played in a ukulele orchestra. She's interested in everything that happens in Maine. Albums for review are accepted digitally only; please no CDs.